, 1887-09-16
Geo. H. Gordon Shot and Instantly
Killed by A. W. Whitehouse.
Victim Of the Tragedy Meets His
Death Stalking an Antelope.
The Hunter SuppOses His Friend
to be a Mountain Lion.
Dreadful Termination of an Ante
Iope Hunt at Dusk.
Special dispatch to The Leader.

mountain, forty-ive miles west of this
city. The occurrence resulted in the death
of a young English gentleman named
Geo. FL. Gordon, who came to America
about three weeks ago with his friend and
collegemate. Mr., A. w. Whitehouse. At
ter graduating from Oxford they accom-
panied Mr.. Wyndham to this country, it
being their first visit to the United States.
They came for the purpose of looking
over the field with a view to investing in
ranch property in the near future. Cor
don was % years of age and his friend
about the same. They are scions of
wealthy families. fine young men and firm
friends.
On their arrival in Wyoming they at
once travelled with Mr.. Wyndham to his
Twin mountain ranch, where they have
remained until the present.
Wednesday, after dinner, Gordon, who
was hunting near the ranch, started two
antelope. He informed Mr.. Whitehouse
of the proximity of the game, and that
gentleman proposed that they attempt to
shoot them. The two left the ranch to-
gether and stalked the game for fully
half an hour, alternately losing and again
finding the trail. Finally one disap-
peared altogether and the other took
refuge in little gulch where the hunters
thought they could secure it. They
agreed hat Gordon should steal along the
guich on one side, while Whitehouse
should creep along the bottom, so that
the game could not easily escape, and the
sportsmen separated.
1t was almost dark and the folks at the
ranch were sitting at supper as the hun
tiers erept cautiously along, in the direc-
ton of the game. Through the gather
ing gloom Whitehouse at last caught sight
of an object moving through the sage
brush, fully 100 yards away, and a great
deal in advance of where he thought Cor
don could be. He took a long look, and
after waiting at least four minutes, he de-
cided that it was a mountain lion. He
fired and the object dropped and lay still.
Knowing the REPEATED dangerous character
Of the mountain lion, he was afraid to go
up, and after firing a second shot called
to his companion, thinking two would be
safer than one. Hearing ne response to
his calls he fret two more shots at the
supposed lion, when, as it did not move,
Mr.. Whitehouse approached it, naturally
surprising that it was dead. Coming
close to the body and parting the sage
brush, what was his horror to discover
the lifeless form of his friend, with blood
streaming from his right temple. Dis
mayed and frightened he FASTENED to the
ranch and in trembling and excited tones
related the dreadful tidings.
The gulch where the tragedy occurred
is not over three-quarters of a mile from
the house and the folks at supper heard
the shots distinctly, but did not imagine
that such awful work had been accom-
plished. They took a buggy and pro-
ceeded to search for the remains. At the
expiration of thirty minutes they came
upon the lifeless body of poor Gordon
and removed it to the ranch. from which
place a party started at sunrise this morn
ing with the intention of reporting the
occurrence to the authorities.
Whitehouse and Wyndham reached
Laramie at noon, but the conveyance in
which the body was transported being
driven more slowly, did not reach the city
until 3 o'clock. The corpse was taken to
Undertaken Stryker's establishment,
where it was viewed by a large number of
citizens
Although four shots were fired at the
body while half concealed in the sage
brush, but one took effect. The ball
entered the right temple and made its
exit near the center of the neck under the
left ear. As the body lay at the under
takers and probably just as it was taken
from among the sage brush it was clad in
blush grey pantaloons and light, Though
not white shirt and a regulation hunting
belt about the waist. Gordon wore
neither coat nor vest and in the darkness
it would be impossible to distinguish any
of these colors. Under the circumstances
it was not unnatural for Whltehouse to
mistake his moving body for the stealthy
creep of a mountain lion,
The wound is a clean one. and there is
no Disagreement of the features of the
young man. Coroner Boies impannelled
a jury upon the arrival of the remains and
began an inquest at the city hall. The
verdict will exonerate Whitehouse from
all blame for the death of his companion.
The friend who fired the fatal shot feels
terribly over the affair. 1t cannot be even
insinuated that he was responsible for the
death OF Gordon, as the latter went far
beyond the point agreed upon by the
hunters.
The young mans relatives have been
informed ofthe unfortunate affair by cable
and some of them will start for Laramie
at once. 1t is probable that Gordon's re-
mains will be embalmed and sent to Eng.
land, though it has not yet been fully